


A Garden Where Your Flowers Can Bloom

by corvuspicapica



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: AU with University and Therapy, Crossover Pairings, F/F, Flashbacks, Human Instrumentality Project never happened, I know this sounds like a weird cross-over please just trust me, Muggle University, Non-Linear Narrative, POV Third Person, Pansexual Luna Lovegood, Post-The End of Evangelion, Post-Third Impact, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rei as POV character, and I'm taking her characters away from her, j. k. rowling is a terf, jkr is a terf, kind of, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:55:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27366898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corvuspicapica/pseuds/corvuspicapica
Summary: Rei embarks on a journey of self-realization in the form of a STEM degree at a university abroad, four years after Third Impact/Human Instrumentality is stopped from happening. In the start of her second year of undergrad, Gendo Ikari and Seele are finally being put on trial for conspiracy to commit genocide, among many other crimes. Shinji and Asuka remain in Tokyo-3, with Asuka working as a graduate student and conducting new research on EVA technology and Shinji working on his prereqs for culinary school (and battling anxiety).Will Rei’s time abroad help her learn what it means to be human? How has her experience as a pilot of EVA-00 shaped her? This and many more questions are explored in “A Garden Where Your Flowers Can Bloom”!---Title inspired by Everclear's "I will buy you a new life" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W05cPXpUHGI&ab_channel=EverclearVEVO
Relationships: Ayanami Rei & Original Character(s), Ikari Shinji/Souryuu Asuka Langley, sort of - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Prologue: Second Year

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my first solo-authored and published fic! 
> 
> The premise of this fic came about from a desire to explore Rei's character away from Asuka and Shinji, and to see how she would have aged and interacted with the world had Human Instrumentality not turned her and everyone into a Mind-Sea. From there, I imagined what her fellow pilots would be doing while she was abroad, and began to shape the story from there. 
> 
> You doubtlessly noticed in the tags that Luna Lovegood will make an appearance; this inclusion was inspired further by a conversation with my husband (co-author of A Flaw In My Code) where we were discussing which characters we felt were poorly handled by their creator, and we agreed that Luna really got the short end of the stick from JKR. I pondered the idea of a character like her for this fic, as a possible romantic interest for Rei, and decided to say fuck it and use Luna instead. 
> 
> I hope I do all the characters justice, and that you stick around to see how everything plays out!

“How is school, Rei?” 

“Fine.” 

Rei’s therapist waited patiently for an elaboration. In the silence, Rei curled her fingers tight around the cuff of her jumper. She hated this. 

“Mmm.” A pause. “According to my notes from our last session, you voiced that you were thinking of taking a philosophy class.” Another pause. “Did you end up signing up for one?”

Rei looked up to her therapist’s face again, picking at her sleeve as she mulled over the words to say to the question. 

“I did.” She hated conversations, but she knew Misato wanted her to try. “I...decided to take an introduction to philosophy course. The university won’t allow you to take more unless you have the introduction course taken.” 

Her therapist nodded, writing down notes. “What other courses have you signed up for?”

Rei pulled out her small notebook from her jumper’s pocket, flipping to the page where she had written her courses for the Autumn term down. “I’m taking one of my math for STEM major courses...introduction to philosophy...biochemistry...and a history of astronomy course.” She looked back up, closing the little book again. 

“What’s the credit load?” The sound of the pen scratching on paper filled the quiet room.

“Sixteen.” Her therapist nodded again. 

“An ambitious course load. Are you still doing work-study?” 

Rei nodded. 

“Still in the Animal labs?” 

She nodded again. “I’ve been assigned twenty hours a week this term.”

Her therapist continued to write, then looked back up. “This is a very busy schedule, Rei. Are you working in time for yourself in all of this?” 

Rei scowled slightly, then remembered that this was part of the reason she met with her therapist. “I...was planning to keep swimming a few times a week.” 

“Good...your homework for this is to draw up your weekly schedule, to make sure you have it built in, just like a class or work.” 

Rei nodded mutely again. 

“Have you heard from anyone back home about the trial?” Her therapist gently prompted, switching gears from academics. “I saw on the news that the formal list of charges should be announced soon.” 

Rei felt her throat turn dry. She clenched her sleeve, hiding the slight tremor in her hand. “N-no. I...I didn’t know it was going to be public.” She swallowed, trying to keep herself in the comfortable numbness she had grown used to, pushing back the slow burn of panic in her belly. 

Her therapist paused, then continued. “I don’t know if they will be streaming the trial, but it is an international case.” Another pause. “How do you feel about it?”

Rei swallowed again, looking up from her hands in her lap to her therapist. “I...I don’t want to think about it, if that’s alright.” 

Another nod. “I understand. We should try looking through your emotions about it though; remember, you don’t have to be afraid of feelings, Rei.” 

“I-I know.” She snapped defensively, feeling the panic move higher in her abdomen. “I...I just..don’t want to think about it.” 

Her therapist waited for a moment, then gently prompted again. “Is it the trial itself, or is it him?”

Rei’s chest immediately turned cold and she jerked her eyes back to the person sitting across from her. Her jaw clenched and she tried to swallow again. She forced a tight breath through her nose. 

Her therapist put the notepad aside. “You mentioned in a previous session that you don’t like to think about Gendo Ikari. I think this may be a good opportunity for us to unpack the feelings you’re having right now, but only if you feel ready to try.” 

Rei’s eyes were fixed wide and sharp on the therapist’s face, but the tone reminded her of Misato’s when they were running EVA tests: calm, assertive, and also kind. She knew Misato wanted her to try.

\-----

Rei exited the clinic, greeted by the late September air that shoved back against the glass door. She shuffled her backpack slightly before heading over to the bike stands, unlocking her own and pushing it down the sidewalk. 

Her appointment had been harder than she had planned, and it annoyed her. It had been easier to do this back in Tokyo-3, when Misato would meet her afterwards and drive her home. She never asked Rei how it had gone, and on the rare occasion she had cried in the session, Misato would give her tissues, a pat on the shoulder, and the phrase, “I’m proud of you, Rei. It’s not easy to do, and I’m proud of you.” 

Sometimes Asuka would meet her afterwards, when their sessions were scheduled at the same time. Those were different; it usually involved Asuka rubbing her eyes, looking a little harassed, and then declaring that they needed to go down to the conbini on the way home. This generally entailed a race on their bikes, and a pit stop up on one of the overpasses with some manner of snack and drink; Asuka had used these quiet breaks to teach Rei about the best junk foods and snacks a conbini had, and while the brash girl had never said it, Rei had gathered that the excursions were mutually helpful.

Shinji, on the other hand, did not go to the appointments; he had been so anxious to leave the house after he and Asuka had left the hospital, he rarely left at all. Asuka had told her once that he still did the appointments, just remotely.

Rei slowed her pace, looking around and sighing softly to herself. It had been just over a year since she had moved to go to university, and it had been a year of trying to figure out her place among these other people. She had known her place with Asuka and Shinji, with Misato, with everyone back home; here, she was drifting, sometimes sinking, sometimes floating, but mostly alone. 

She felt a sting in her throat, wishing she had her abrasive friend or sometimes-chaotic guardian with her. Rubbing her eyes, Rei took a steadying breath and pulled herself up onto the bike, pedaling slowly before gaining a bit of speed to head back to her flat. 

The cold autumn air on her face helped quiet the raw feelings still buried in her chest, anchoring her to her body, where it was, and how it moved. The trees here were different than those she knew better back home, filling the air with a sharp pine scent as she passed under them, veering her bike off the main path and down a dirt road. Rei remembered her therapist’s advice to ‘ground herself’ in moments like this, to memorize the feelings, sounds, and smells, so she could recall them when she needed to later. 

Rei sharpened her focus, listening closely to the zipping sound of her bike as she pedalled, the crackle of dried earth under her tires; the numbness in her fingers and warmth in her legs from the resistance from her pedals, and the sting of cold air on her face, the sharpness in her nose as she inhaled; the smell pinesap and dry earth, and in the distance some form of controlled burning, mixed with distinct, skunk-like odour that she had come to know as ‘pot smoke’; the deep greens of the trees at the edges of the path that whipped along the edge of her vision, dappled light flashing through the needles and branches across the path in front of her, the cloudy grey sky with blue peeking through, and another biker ahead on the path, coming the opposite direction. 

Normally, Rei wouldn’t have noticed, but as she rode closer, she could better see the other biker: a girl, about her age, with colorful hair and neon green helmet. As the girl passed, she leaned back on her seat and waved to Rei, steering only with her knees as she used both hands to wave. 

Her smile practically glowed; Rei, startled, gave a haphazard wave back, only taking one hand off her handlebars. After they passed each other, Rei found herself glancing back, puzzled, then turning back to the path ahead. 

That was odd. She mused, tilting the bike again back onto a pavement path, nearly home. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had waved--at her no less!--with such enthusiasm. Shrugging it off, Rei continued her way home.

\---

“Asuka?” 

“Hang on!” The video feed on Rei’s laptop showed a blown-up image of Asuka standing on top of EVA-02, wearing her lab coat with a bright smile on her face. 

Rei swallowed a slightly-irritated sigh, stirring the instant ramen in her bowl as she waited. 

The feed blinked, and suddenly, Asuka’s annoyed expression pulled back from the webcam as she sat back down, flicking her long red hair back behind her shoulders. 

“Sorry--I was disconnecting the NERV-recorder. Stupid IT department thinks I won’t notice them monitoring my calls…” She snorted, moving the dishes in front of her around.

Rei recognized the cluttered space behind Asuka as her office that she had commandeered at the NERV headquarters, for her graduate research. 

“Should we switch to german then?” Rei asked, half-joking, half-serious. Her german wasn’t great, but conversations with Asuka went a long way towards helping her work on it.

“Nein, they’re not that dumb.” She laughed, then looked up at the camera, at Rei. “But thanks for asking.” 

A small smile crossed Rei’s face. “You’re welcome.” She looked down at her ramen and gave it another stir. “What did Shinji pack for you today?”

“I had to pick up a few things this morning--he’s still shit at making coffee.” Asuka sighed dramatically, shaking her head. “I can’t get him to understand that I just want it black. No cream or milk, no foam, just black.” She began unpacking her food, which was just out of range of Asuka’s webcam. “What are you having?”

“Ramen. I found a new flavor I wanted to try.” Rei gave the noodles in question a slurp, her eyes watering at the heat. 

“It’s not that disgusting cheese one, is it?” Asuka made a retching sound. “That one smells like feet.” 

“No--it’s a kimchi one.” Rei gave Asuka a slightly teasing grin back. “And it doesn’t smell like feet. It smells like your feet.” 

“Oooh, Ayanami is feeling sassy today!” Asuka crowed, giving Rei a snarky smile. “And to answer your question, it looks like I have fried rice with extra egg and some ham this morning.” The smile shifted into a half-groan. “I know we need to use up the leftovers, but fried rice gets old after three days in a row.”

“Is he stressed out right now?” Rei asked, eating more of her noodles; the vinegar taste of the kimchi powder was good, but she wondered if adding some proper kimchi might help.

“Yeah--they’re testing his medications again, so he’s all freaked out.” She heard Asuka sigh and the rustle of a plastic bag. “He’s worried about missing his classes at the end of this week too, but his instructors have all been really nice about it. You know how he can be.”

Rei nodded; she had never met someone with so much anxiety as Shinji. “When is his procedure? Are they doing the observation one again?”

“It’s on Friday. And they’re doing a 24 hour run of it this time, then he has to cycle off of them, and then they do a repeat test to see where his cortisol levels and stuff are without this medication in his system.” Asuka took a long sip of her coffee, then continued, “I’m taking him in before I go to work. Misato said she would sit with him while I was here, but they don’t let us in the testing room.”

Rei nodded, taking a drink of the water she had next to her computer. “That’s probably why he keeps making fried rice then.” 

“Yeah--and it’s why I haven’t stopped him either. I know it’s just how he copes.” Asuka sighed again, then looked back at the webcam, her sharp blue eyes on Rei’s face. “Speaking of coping, how are you doing?”

Rei sagged her face into her hands. “It’s been difficult. I had therapy today, and we talked about Gendo.” 

Asuka made a loud wincing sound. “Damn. Those were alway rough sessions when you were still here…” 

Rei nodded, feeling her hands shake a little. “They still are.” She took a slow, steady breath, drinking more of her water. “It’s because of the trial.” 

“I wish they would just hurry up already. It’s been four years.” Asuka snorted irritatedly. 

Rei nodded, “I understand why it’s taken so long, but I hate not knowing if his picture might show up in an article.” 

“Shit, I hadn’t thought of that.” Asuka picked at the paper sleeve on her cup of coffee. “Has it happened at all?” 

“Once, on the bus.” Rei looked down at her hands. She didn’t want to remember, but she also trusted Asuka. They had been through hell together, after all. “I froze, and my therapist told me that what happened was a panic attack.” Shame burned her cheeks. 

“Those are the worst.” Asuka replied softly. “I still get them once in a while...but not from him. I’m so sorry, Rei.”

Rei looked up, seeing Asuka looking straight through the webcam, at her. She felt exposed, scared, but knowing they were Asuka’s words that she heard helped slowly quell the rising panic in her throat. 

“...Thanks, Asuka.” Rei’s voice was a little dry. “I...I’m not good at talking about these things...and it helps that you and I can talk about them.”

Asuka gave her an easy smile. “You never asked me questions when I didn’t want to talk--consider us even.” 

“Okay.” Rei looked down, but the grateful smile that crossed her face was impossible to hide. 

“Now--we got schedules to build!” Her brash friend declared, slapping her hand on the desk and rattling the cup and dishes. “We can’t kick ass if we don’t know where we’re supposed to be.” 

An involuntary giggle escaped Rei’s lips as she pulled out her pens and notebooks. “No, I suppose not. And remember, we’re supposed to be scheduling self-care too.” 

“Ugh, thanks. I would have forgotten.” Rei glanced back up and saw Asuka pulling up documents on the second monitor to the left of Rei’s video feed. “Guess that’s why it needs to be scheduled, right?”

Rei laughed again, “Yeah, guess so.”


	2. Intro to Philosophy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Excerpt from Rei's Schedule]
> 
> Autumn Term: 
> 
> M / W 
> 
> Intro to Philosophy 08:30-11:30
> 
> Math for STEM 14:00-16:30
> 
> Workstudy 17:30-20:00

Chapter 1: Intro to Philosophy

Rei chained her bike up outside the main Quad where the humanities buildings were, glancing at the three other bikes alongside her own, as well as the decimated remains of a fourth bike, robbed of all useful parts. She double checked her two locks, then started walking, adjusting her backpack and checking her watch. She tapped the button along the side, lighting up the screen with a dull orange glow. It read:

07:42; 1°C

She made an irritated sound. I should have dried my hair… With a sigh, she pulled up the hood of her jacket, rubbing her hands against her head in a futile effort to get the rest of the moisture out of her hair. 

The campus was quiet; it was still early, even for her philosophy class, which started at 8:30. It was early enough in autumn that the mornings were bright with sharp air, with a soft gilding of frost across the fallen leaves and grass. 

Rei paused, pulling out her mobile and crouching low on the sidewalk next to a small clover blossom, tucked under a frosted maple leaf as large as her hand. With her tongue pinched between her teeth, she activated her camera, lowering the phone into the crunchy grass and snapped a picture. Straightening, she looked it over on the digital screen, carefully adjusting the contrast and levels before sending it to her group chat with Shinji and Asuka. 

The sound of a twig snapping drew her eyes up as she tucked the mobile in her pocket, and her red eyes locked on the figure of a blonde girl, standing a few meters away. 

She was average height, with long hair that was in a loose braid. She was dressed not dissimilarly from Rei, though this girl had, inexplicably, opted for a skirt and tights, rather than Rei’s comfortable--and warm--jeans. She also wore more color than Rei, with her jacket in a warm, mottled orange and rust brown, and bright purple hand warmers curled around a holographic thermos. 

But most notably to Rei was her wide, grey eyes that were fixed directly on her own. She felt trapped, feeling her breath tighten in her chest.

The girl gave her a bright smile, which made her chest tighten harder. 

“Hello.” Her voice was lilting and accented. She approached Rei with an easy step. “Did you photograph anything interesting?”

Rei swallowed, trying to remember her slow breathing technique. “いいえ--a-ah, no. Not really.” She felt her ears burn, for the language slippup. 

The girl shrugged and smiled again, then took a sip of her thermos. “No need to be embarrassed. It must be difficult going to uni in a different language.” 

Rei felt herself starting to collapse inside from panic. Who was this girl, and what did she want from her? 

The girl continued, “I’m an international student too--from the United Kingdom. Where are you from?” 

“...Japan.” Rei managed in a soft voice, regaining a little bit of focus as she began to breathe again. “T-Tokyo-3. You?” 

“Oh, it’s a tiny town--not even on the map.” The girl laughed, and Rei felt the knot ease a little in her chest. “Were you going to class?” 

“....Yes. I need to eat first.” Rei checked her watch: 07:58. “The coffee shop in this building opens soon.” She paused, hating that she didn’t have Asuka or Shinji with her to deflect the conversation to. “Where...were you going?”

“Oh, I have to pick up some books before my class.” The girl smiled again. “I better let you go, then.” She offered a hand to Rei. “It was nice meeting you. I’m Luna, by the way.” 

Rei took her hand gently, surprised by how warm her palm was. “Rei Ayanami. It was nice talking to you too, Luna.” She did her best to manage a small smile, and the effort seemed to be enough: Luna gave her another bright one in return. 

“See you later, Rei!” She beamed, then started walking towards the library with a gentle, bouncing step.

Rei watched as she walked away, then exhaled slowly with a shudder. She hated conversations.

\---

The lecture hall was still mostly empty when Rei entered, carrying a hot cup of tea in hand. She spotted her normal seat, about halfway up from the bottom on the left side, and began moving quickly towards it. The few students who had also arrived early gave no more than a half-glance as she passed, if that. 

Sinking into her seat, Rei put down her tea and extracted her bento box from her bag, tucking her legs up under her and opening the top to reveal her breakfast: a few slices of bread with peanut butter smeared on them. 

She put one of her earbuds in, turning on one of her playlists and feeling her residual nerves from the random encounter with the girl--Luna--soothe and quiet. She took a bite of her bread, chewing as she scrolled through her phone to find her book she was reading. 

The half-hour before class passed quietly, punctuated for Rei by sips of hot, bitter tea and the mellow sweet flavor of her peanut butter bread. Her eyes drifted across the page of her book on the glowing screen; she was engrossed in the world the pages held, making her blind to the rest of the auditorium. 

Her wrist buzzed; the watch’s silent timer told her it was time to get ready for class. 

With a low sigh, she shook her head and packed her bento back into her bag, extracting her notebook for this course and opening it. 

The lecture theater was much fuller now, with most students concentrated towards the center section of the room. A harried looking man was organizing a stack of papers at the front, handing a stack to each row. 

“Good morning everyone--can you hear me alright?” It took a moment before the lectern microphone kicked on, getting the attention of the room with a pop. “Right, thank you. I’m Professor Hossler, and just to check, this is Phi 101, Introduction to Philosophy. If you are not taking intro to philosophy, then you timetable may have the wrong room listed.” 

A few students looked embarrassed, scooping up bags and jackets before fleeing the room.   
“I’ve passed around the syllabus--you should be getting one soon…” The professor’s voice tapered off as he turned to the computer, and began fighting with it to pull up his slides. 

Rei settled back into her seat, taking one of the papers and passing the stack behind her. Taking a drink of tea and starting to skim the syllabus, she did not notice a pale-blonde girl sitting down towards the back of the lecture theatre behind her. 

It was only after someone came in five minutes late that Rei’s eyes were drawn behind her, spotting Luna in the brief glare of daylight. 

Crap.

\----

A three hour lecture was grueling this early in the day. Yawning as she exited the building, Rei rubbed the side of her face. She really needed to get some better sleep. 

At least the class seems interesting… she mused to herself, double checking her schedule in the little notebook, then tucking it away. He said we would be starting the proper introduction on Wednesday...I should be able to start the reading now, though. Rei nodded silently to herself; this was a good plan.

Her classmates drifted around her, milling and chatting, barely noticing as she wove through the crowd, heading towards the bike stands. She had a few hours before her next class, but was still debating whether to go home and start her reading, or camp out in the math building and work there. 

“Rei!” 

Rei kept walking, not entirely hearing the voice across the intermittent rumble of voices. 

“Rei Ayanami!” 

She froze, turning her head towards the voice. People didn’t call her here. Scanning the cluster of walking figures, she fixed her red eyes on a bobbing figure, running off the sidewalk towards her. She swallowed slowly, recognizing the mottled coat and pale blonde hair.

Luna stopped a few steps from her, giving her a bright smile. “I didn’t know you were taking philosophy.” 

Rei nodded mutely, her fingers picking slightly at the webbing of her backpack strap. 

Luna continued, “I hope I’m not the only non-major taking the course. But that’s alright.” She looked a little wistful for a moment, then shook her head and turned back to Rei. “How do you feel about it?”

“I’m a biology major.” Rei answered, a little flatly. “But...I’ve never bothered about how others might feel about it.” After the words left her mouth, it occurred to Rei that the girl likely meant the lecture, not majors. She sighed through her nose.

“Biology?” Luna’s wide eyes seemed to spark. “I’m a bit of a botanist myself, but my major is fine arts.” She glanced over at the bikes, then back to Rei. “Where were you headed? I can walk with you if you don’t mind.” 

Rei did mind. But before she could protest, Luna gave her a warm smile, clearly encouraged by knowing the name of one of her classmates. She sighed again. 

“I haven’t decided yet. I was planning to head to the mathematics building, where my next class is.” She replied cautiously. Asuka made talking to people look so easy--why was it so hard for her? 

Luna nodded. “Alright--I was heading to the art building, which is on the way!” She glanced over to the bikes again. “Did you need your bike? I heard they get stolen easily.” 

Rei, flustered, felt her face burn a little. “I-I--yes, I do. I….was going to ride it over. Do...you have a bike?” 

Luna laughed, then waved her hand. “Oh no, not me. I’ve never been good on m--” She froze, as if catching herself from saying a slur or some other forbidden word. 

Rei gave her a cautious look, “...manual…?” 

Luna nodded, her pale face blushing very pink. “Y-yes!! Manual transport. I lost the word for a moment, sorry. Must be another nargle bothering me.”

“....A what?” Rei looked very perplexed. “I’m not sure I know that word…” 

Luna’s blush deepened, and she didn’t meet Rei’s eyes. It was clear to her that Luna was struggling with her words. “A nargle--they’re little creatures that make your brain all fuzzy. I seem to have them around a lot lately…” 

Rei looked around Luna, curious if this strange creature was actually present, or if it was an idiom that Rei’s language barrier had mangled. Her red eyes narrowed, fixing on a strange glimmer next to Luna’s shoulder.

She reached out and waved her hand at the spot, but found only empty air. 

“Hm. Well...if there was something, it’s gone now...” Puzzled, Rei turned back to Luna, who wore a wide-eyed, shocked expression on her face. Rei met the pale eyes staring at her, feeling a bit anxious. “...sorry…”

“No!” Luna shook her head, “No no--thank you! They’ve been bothering me since I lost my cork necklace...I really ought to make a new one.” Luna fixed her coat, still pink in the face, but looking much cheerier.

Rei started walking slowly towards the bike rack again. “What happened to it?” 

“Oh...my roommates at my last flat took it, and hid it.” Rei pulled her eyes back to Luna, whose expression had turned wistful again. “I couldn’t find it before I left...and it hasn’t reappeared...so it must be gone.” 

Rei unlocked her bike, stowing the chain and lock in her bike’s saddlebags. She was always careful to keep them empty when the bike was going to be parked. She glanced sideways at Luna, unsure of what to say as a means of comforting her. Wracking her brain, she remembered something Asuka had said to both her and Shinji. 

“Any decent friends won’t steal from you! And if they do, they’re not worth your time either! Come on Rei, we’re getting that bike back...fucking boys.” 

“They must not be decent friends then. Friends don’t steal from you.” She started pushing her bike, giving Luna a little nudge in the right direction. 

Luna looked back at her, giving her a sad smile. “Oh, I know. I don’t have many friends back home, or here. Making friends is hard, isn’t it?” 

Rei felt very exposed, but managed to hide her expression. But she did agree with Luna’s sentiment, offering her a nod. “It is. People here are strange.” 

“Or maybe we’re strange?” Luna offered, pulling at one of her long necklaces, fidgeting with the pendant.

“Maybe.” Rei allowed, her eyes flickering across the crowds of students as they walked. Curiously, she noticed that they barely looked at the two of them, drifting aside like weeds around the bow of a boat; was Luna invisible to them, like she was?

Maybe...this wasn’t so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter!! And Luna has appeared! 
> 
> At this point I want to make sure I explain that I have ignored the placement of JKR's timeline re: Luna's age. I had pegged Rei as just having turned 19, and I feel like Luna would be around the same age. I also want to make sure we confirm this here: Luna is still a witch. ;) More will be revealed as the story progresses.
> 
> Also, I chose to interpret Rei's indifference/irritation in the anime towards conversations as her simply not wanting to talk to people, because she's been so used to not really feeling emotions until Rei III? More of this will get explained later, but suffice to say here that Rei spends a lot of time in therapy learning how humans feel. 
> 
> Finally, I am unsure of how many HP people are showing up here without any context re:Evangelion, but if you're really confused, the wiki entries here under plot and character do a pretty decent job explaining what's going on prior to the prologue: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genesis_Evangelion 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy it! Next chapter coming soon. :) 
> 
> Key takeaways from this chapter: 
> 
> \- Rei still hates talking to people
> 
> \- Shinji at one point got his bike stolen, and Asuka *may* have beat the thief up.
> 
> \- Luna is an awkward extrovert who wants friends.


End file.
